Philippines to file US suit to retrieve Marcos Monet (Updated: Monday, 27th January at 6:11 pm THAI) MANILA, PHILIPPINES -- The Philippines will file a civil suit in the United States to recover a Monet painting that vanished after the 1986 revolution which forced former first lady Imelda Marcos into exile, an official said Monday. The painting, one of more than 150 missing masterpieces the Philippines authorities are trying to recover, was sold by a one-time secretary of Marcos, said Andres Bautista, head of the watchdog body tasked with recovering the Marcos wealth. We are initiating a civil lawsuit in order to recover the painting, (and) also to recover the proceeds of the (sale of the) painting including bank accounts of more than $50 million, he told foreign correspondents. Marcos’ former secretary Vilma Bautista, 75, was convicted by a US court in November of trying to sell part of the Marcos family’s hoard of artworks and other luxuries accumulated during the corrupt rule of strongman President Ferdinand Marcos. Andres Bautista, the government official, said the former secretary said she was just holding monies for Mrs Marcos, who is now a congresswoman in the Philippines. He also said the government wanted to recover five million dollars paid to two of the secretary’s nephews in Hong Kong for facilitating the sale of the Monet. The painting, one of the famous impressionist’s water lily series, had been taken along with three other works in late 1995 from the walls of a New York townhouse owned by the Philippine government. Manila had created an entire government department to track down any ill-gotten wealth from the Marcos regime, much of which disappeared in the aftermath of the 1986 revolution. :::
Posted on: Mon, 27 Jan 2014 12:13:38 +0000
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